CHICAGO: Former Edelman EVP Rita Glaze has joined W2O Group as leader of the value, pricing, and market access practice.

In the newly created role, Glaze will work with Brian Reid, MD and founder of the value, pricing, and market access practice, to expand W2O’s work in this area. Glaze started at W2O on January 4.

"The payer audience is an incredibly important audience; in some cases it is the lead audience," Glaze said. "It’s important having that lens as part of the rest of the integrated healthcare offering. I bring to table expertise from commercial, brand, as well as communications experience, so I can look at it from every lens."

The practice works with pharma, biotech companies, and payers along the life cycle of a drug, Glaze said, on issues related to pricing, stakeholder analytics, content development, media engagement, regulatory processes, among others.

She and Reid are hoping to better integrate W2O’s analytics into this subset of healthcare communications.

"Working with our analytics colleagues and other marketing colleagues, we can create some offerings that are truly distinct in this practice," Glaze said.

Glaze previously worked at Edelman for seven years, most recently as EVP and director of U.S. market access. She also spent four years at Takeda Pharmaceuticals as senior therapeutic product manager and one year at health tech company AllScripts as director of marketing. Glaze has also worked for Discovery International and Searle.

W2O named Jennifer Gottlieb as president in January to oversee three of the firm’s subsidiaries, WCG, Twist, and Pure. Gottlieb is also tasked with integrating W2O’s analytics services into the three agencies.